Lukas VFN 🇪🇺New research unlocks clues about the iconic flight of the #WanderingAlbatross
https://phys.org/news/2022-11-clues-iconic-flight-albatross.html
Observations and models of across-wind flight speed of the wandering #albatross https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.211364
#WanderingAlbatrosses limit their maximum across-wind airspeeds to ~ 20 m/s in higher wind speeds (and greater wind turbulence), probably to keep the aerodynamic force on their wings during #DynamicSoaring well below the mechanically-tolerable limits of wing strength.
New research unlocks clues about the iconic flight of the wandering albatross
Wandering albatrosses, which are an iconic sight in the Southern Ocean, are highly adapted to long-distance soaring flight. Their wingspan of up to 11 feet is the largest known of any living bird, and yet wandering albatrosses fly while hardly flapping their wings. Instead, they depend on dynamic soaring—which exploits wind shear near the ocean surface to gain energy—in addition to updrafts and turbulence.